


Out Of The Bag

by HayamaRei



Series: Of Thieves and Family Bonds [8]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Blaise loves his brother very much, Brothers, Gen, Heart-to-Heart, Mentions of PTSD, What are titles, and I love sibling relationships, semi-graphic description of violence against minors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-08-02 07:02:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16300325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HayamaRei/pseuds/HayamaRei
Summary: Blaise and Hroar go to Riften to help Asbjorn on their father's request. It goes wrong in every way possible.





	Out Of The Bag

**Author's Note:**

> It took me 50 years to complete but I survived! This is one of the first fics I started writing when my mind birthed this idea and it took me until now to complete. How cool am I?
> 
> Finally more than 10 seconds of screen time for Hroar! I felt like I was neglecting my son, so here's the redemption for that. 
> 
> Enjoy!

“Blaise.” The boy turned around when his father called from the alchemy lab’s doorway. 

“Yes?”

The man walked in and leaned on the desk Blaise was working at. “Have you ever been to Riften with Endon?”

Blaise felt his heart drop the way it always did when Riften was brought up in their household. “Um, no, not really. He says it’s too risky going there.” He said carefully. “Why?”

His father sighed heavily. “You know how my nephew took over my workshop when I married your mother?”

“Yes.” Blaise knew Asbjorn as the Riften blacksmith but avoided interacting with him. He knew about his mother and Blaise in the Guild and was being blackmailed into silence by Maven’s thugs. That didn’t make Blaise or his mom the most famous people on Asbjorn’s list. 

“I just got a letter from Bolli, an old friend, telling me Asbjorn has been going through a rough patch. He hasn’t told me because he’s too stubborn and knows I’ll worry. But I want to help him.” His father explained. 

Blaise paused. “So… You want to send him some gold?”

“No. Actually, I want to go and help personally.” Blaise’s heart sank again. Both him and his mother relied on the fact that his father never wanted to step foot into Riften again. “Land him a hand, you know?”

“No.” Blaise said and almost winced at his stupidity.

“What?” 

“I mean, you can’t.” He recovered quickly. He wasn’t green anymore. “We’re just entering season, you have a whole bunch of requests and it’ll be bad for business if you leave now.” 

“Hroar can take over for a while.” 

Blaise shook his head. “No he can’t. He’s great at this but he’s sixteen. He’s still just an apprentice, he cannot carry out a whole batch the way you can just yet.” It wasn’t a lie either. It was too much responsibility for a boy his age. “Tell you what. Hroar and I will go. He can help Asbjorn with the forging for a week until it’s done and I’ll make myself useful however I can.”

His father hesitated. “I don’t think taking Hroar to Riften-”

“Dad.” Blaise interrupted. “We will ask him if he’s okay with going. And if he is I will personally make sure he doesn’t set foot near that orphanage or any place that makes him feel uneasy. I’ll have him closed inside the shop if I have to.” 

“I… Okay. But only if he’s sure.”

Blaise grinned. 

\---- 

Convincing Hroar to go was easier than Blaise imagined it would be. He suspected it was more because he was finally being allowed to go somewhere further away, even if that away was Riften. Their mother was on actual Dragonborn business this time so their stay at the city had to go more or less smoothly.

They left early next morning, horses packed with supplies for Asbjorn and enough food to last them the day’s trip. Rayya hugged them goodbye and gave Blaise a significant look which basically translated to ‘Don’t screw up’. 

“Have you ever feared a dragon would attack you on the road like this?” Hroar asked several hours into their trip. 

Blaise hummed. “Not really. Dragons avoid main roads actually. Mom says they stick to mountains and open plains, since people now know how to kill them better than when they first came back.” 

“So the dragons are afraid of us?” Hroar said skeptically. 

“Not afraid, but weary. They prefer attacking lone wanderers in lost places to groups with bigger odds.”

“Oh. Makes sense.” Hroar nodded and Blaise chuckled.

\---- 

They made it to Riften just a bit after sundown. Left their horses at the stables and made their way into the city. Blaise didn’t miss the way his brother tensed slightly when they walked into the centre and the orphanage came in view, but he held his head high and continued walking confidently and Blaise knew he would be okay.

The only people outside were the guards who knew better than to address Guild members openly, Snilf and Edda the beggars, and Marcurio who was heading into the inn. 

The two boys made their way to The Scorched Hammer and knocked on the door. Blaise prayed to Nocturnal for this to go smoothly.

Asbjorn opened the door and the moment his eyes landed on Blaise his eyes narrowed. He seemed about to say something but Blaise beat him to it.

“Asbjorn, hello! I hope you remember us, last time we met we were still kids. But dad got news you were going through a hard time and sent us to help you out.” He said cheerfully and gave Asbjorn the letter from their dad while Hroar grinned next to him.

The man looked affronted for a second, eyeing the piece of paper warily and then forced a smile on his face. “Oh of course I remember you. Hroar and Blake, right?” Oh he was good, Blaise gave him that. 

“Blaise,” he corrected, playing along and entering the shop once they were invited. 

“Yes, my apologies. My, you’ve both grown up a lot.”

“We eat our vegetables.” Blaise said, making his brother chuckle. 

“I’m dad’s apprentice,” Hroar added as if that explained his growth. 

Asbjorn smiled at him, a real smile, probably realising that the younger wasn’t in on the whole ordeal. “I can tell. You don’t get that mass by sneaking about.” Blaise didn’t miss the jab at him but politely chose to ignore it. Hroar was beaming at the praise. 

“Dad sent you some materials from our reserve as a gift.” He said excitedly, pointing at the bags they’d brought in.

“Oh? Well, thank you.” Asbjorn smiled again. “Would you mind bringing them downstairs? I’m sure your brother won’t mind helping me set up dinner in the meantime. I don’t have much but I wasn’t aware I’ll be having company.” 

“No problem!” Hroar jumped and slung both heavy bags over his shoulders, following in the direction Asbjorn had pointed him to. The moment he was out of sight the older man rounded onto Blaise, hard glare in place. 

“I am not happy having a thief in my house.” He hissed.

Blaise glared back just as hard. “I’m not crazy about this idea either.” He shot back. “But I’m doing it for my father so let’s play nice.” 

Asbjorn glared harder. “I don’t trust you. And if a single septim goes missing I will-”

“I am not here for work.” Blaise cut him off. “Do you really think I will risk my brother finding out? As I said, play nice. We’ll be out of your hair in a week.” He turned around and went to fetch plates from the shelf nearby.

The man grit his teeth and seemed like he was going to say something more but Hroar chose that moment to come back and he was forced to swallow whatever argument he had. 

Dinner felt awkward, with Hroar’s chatter filling the silence and the occasional short answer from Asbjorn. If his brother noticed the detached behaviour he said nothing about it.

\---- 

Three days passed painfully slow. Asbjorn refused to talk to Blaise unless necessary or unless Hroar was in the room. On the good side of things, he seemed to like his brother just fine and the younger boy was having fun helping out. Both bonded over being Balimund’s apprentices and Blaise was grateful for it. 

Things started going south on their fourth night there. Blaise had always been a light sleeper and was woken up by the sound of Hroar shuffling around the room. At first Blaise ignored it, decided his brother went to get water, but was made to jump out of bed when he heard the front door open. He pulled his pants on with almost inhuman speed and followed out. 

Riften wasn’t safe at night and not only because of the Guild. The Ratway dwellers came out sometimes and they caused mayhem beyond anything a thief would do. 

He caught sight of his brother just a moment before he disappeared behind the garden walls of the temple of Mara and quickly dashed after him. Thankfully he was fast enough to catch the younger before he could slip away again.

“Hroar!” He hissed, making the other jump and turn around. “What the hell are you doing?” 

His brother looked around suspiciously and leaned towards Blaise. “I’m going to sneak into the Thieves Guild.” He whispered and Blaise’s insides froze. 

“What?!” 

“When I was a kid, still in the orphanage, Samuel and I snuck out one night, we were planning to escape. We didn’t make it very far before we got scared but we saw a thief go into a hidden passage in the graveyard. Their hideout must be there!” Hroar explained in a hurry. 

Blaise was so screwed. “But why would you go there? They’re dangerous criminals!” 

His brother’s eyes lit with anger. “They’ve marked Asbjorn’s house! I saw it by the door, they’ve been stealing from him! Probably from dad too! I’m going to go and teach them a lesson!” He pulled out the ebony dagger Blaise had given him almost two years ago. 

“Are you crazy?! You can’t take a whole Guild on your own! They’ll kill you!” By Nocturnal how had he gotten himself in this?

Hroar shook his head. “No, I’ll be gone before they know it. I won’t kill them all, just one of them, to send a message.” 

“No.” No. There was no way he was letting the younger anywhere near the Guild. “It’s too dangerous. Come on, we’ll tell the guards in the morning or something. This is not the way.” 

“The guards won’t do shit!” Hroar hissed, and it wasn’t often he used profanity. “I’m going, you can either come with me or stay here but you can’t stop me.” 

Like hell he couldn’t. “I’m sorry but I can’t let you do it.” Blaise said and threw himself at his brother, trying to tackle him to the ground. However Hroar was broader than him, better fit and strengthened by the years of working metal. He easily stopped the attack and grabbed Blaise instead.

“I am going!” He panted, struggling to keep Blaise in place. Then with one strong push he shoved Blaise away from himself and into the wall behind them. Blaise hit his head and the world went dark around him.

When he finally regained consciousness again it was with a jolt of panic and a dull ache in his head. He wasted no time running towards the hidden entrance for the Cistern and his heart sank when he saw it was open. Quickly as possible he descended down the ladder and through the short corridor leading to the heart of the Cistern. 

In the middle Thrynn and Rune were holding Hroar down on his knees while Vipir had a sword pointed at his throat. Thank Nocturnal he was still alive.

“Stop!” Blaise shouted, running towards the men. Their eyes turned to him, Hroar included. He looked afraid but was trying hard not to show it, glaring at everyone instead. “Stop.” He repeated as he came to a halt in front of them. “That’s my brother.”

Vipir’s eyebrows shot to his hairline. “Brother? He just tried killing Rune.” 

Blaise looked at his feet. “I know. I tried to stop him.” Hroar’s eyes were growing bigger with every word being said. “He’s angry on behalf of Asbjorn. Saw that we marked him.”

“We?!” Hroar suddenly seemed to forget there was a blade at his throat. “Blaise what the hell are you talking about?! Do you know these people?!” 

Rune and Thrynn looked a little lost on what to do with the boy struggling in their hands. Vipir lowered the blade. 

After Blaise had shown up two years ago the whole Guild was told their family situation. How Hroar and their father didn’t know about their ties to the Guild, how the Manor was off limits to anyone wanting to prove themselves. So they knew better than to talk now and let something slip that would make the matters worse. 

Blaise sighed and nodded at the men to let Hroar go. The boy jumped to his feet right away, staring at his brother and waiting for answers. “Yes.” Blaise said after a few moments. “I know them.” 

Hroar was growing angrier and the older men stepped away to give them some sort of privacy. “And,” the boy was trying to keep his voice even but it was shaking with suppressed anger. “How exactly do you know them?”

Blaise sighed. “I work for them.” The words were barely out of his mouth when Hroar’s fist collided with his jaw, sending him staggering back. 

“How could you?!” The younger roared. “You know what this scum has done to our father! How could you come in here with clear mind and become a- a filthy thief?! What would mom do if she found out? Do you want to break her heart???” He was growing louder with every word and Blaise knew better than to interrupt him.”I can’t believe I looked up to you! I was so envious that you got to see the world and instead you- you’ve been here! Staining our family name! Why?! Tell me why, Blaise!”

The words stung deep in him, but Blaise had expected them. He’d known there would be no way Hroar would take the news lightly. Blaise was glad their mother wasn’t there. “I’m not you.” He answered because Hroar was looking at him with expectation again. “I’m not dad. Or mom. I can’t work metal, or wield swords or fight dragons! I tried doing so many things before I came here but I kept failing! But do you know what I’ve always been good at? Sneaking. I’ve been good at making myself invisible since I lived on that gotdamn farm in Solitude. You had the forge and dad. Mom has the whole Skyrim to go around and be a hero. Rayya takes care of the house and can still kill a giant. I was lost, I felt worthless.” He explained. 

“So you became a criminal.” There was something in Hroar’s voice. Something that sounded an awful lot like disgust and it made Blaise’s stomach churn. 

“I found my place.” Blaise tried to defend himself but it was futile. 

“What happens when mom finds out?” 

“She won’t.”

“She’s the Dragonborn, of course she will!” 

“I’ll deal with that when it gets to it!”

Hroar took a step back and scanned the room. Thryinn, Rune and Vipir were giving them a wide berth but watching the scene unfold carefully. The boy was breathing hard and his face was red with rage. He took one last look at Blaise and then set off running towards the exit, climbing the ladder up in a single jump and disappearing from sight. 

“You should go after him.” Brynjolf’s voice came from the door to the training room. “He’s angry but he shouldn’t be alone.” 

Blaise took a deep breath to ground himself and ran after his brother. 

Hroar was nowhere to be seen outside. Blaise ran around the square, looked frantically but to no avail. Panic began rising in his chest. 

“The boy ran out of town, you know?” Blaise jumped when Snilf spoke behind him. “Looked upset.” 

“Thank you!” Blaise said and ran for the door as well. He had to find Hroar before he could do something stupid. Before he could get himself into trouble out there. 

Hroar was strong but Blaise was fast. Even with his brother’s head start he managed to catch up within minutes down the road. “Hroar!” He called out. “Stop!” His brother started running faster. He veered off track, leaving the path and entering the forest. 

Blaise picked up speed as well, afraid he’d lose the younger between the trees. Thankfully for him Hroar tripped on a root and fell face first not too long after. 

“Hroar!” He called out again, halting to a stop beside the boy. “Are you okay?” He knelt down to check on him but the boy slapped his hand away instantly. 

“Don’t touch me!” He screamed. There were tears in his eyes when he finally looked up. “Don’t come near me!” 

Blaise bit his lip but complied, leaning back and sitting at the base of the tree instead. “Alright. Alright, just… Don’t run off again. It’s dangerous.”

“And it’s safe around you?!”

Blaise winced. “I’m a thief, not a murderer.” 

Hroar maneuvered himself into a sitting position too, pulling his knees close to his chest. “I can’t believe you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No you’re not.” 

“I’m sorry that you’re upset.”

“What else did you expect, Blaise?!” Hroar erupted again. “That I’d be happy for you???”

“No!” Blaise exclaimed. “I didn’t expect you to ever find out, okay? You and dad both hate Riften! I never thought I’d have to deal with one of you going back there again! I never thought you would _think_ to charge at the entire Guild with a goddamn dagger!” It wasn’t often that he lost his composure like that and he could tell Hroar was surprised by it, too. 

“So you were just going to hide forever?” 

“It’s what I’m good at.” 

“Blaise, our mother is the Dragonborn. She saved us from miserable lives so we wouldn’t have to grow up into lowlifes.” Hroar said quietly this time. “When she finds out-”

“She knows.” Blaise interrupted him and it almost seemed to punch the breath out of his brother. 

“What?” He breathed out.

“Mom knows.” Blaise said defeatedly. “She found out soon after I joined.”

“And she’s okay with it?” Hroar asked in disbelief. 

Blaise sighed and leaned his head back against the tree. “She… Understands it.”

“But...” 

“She saw that it’s where I belong.” Blaise continued. “Just like we belong with her and how you belong at the forge. Ever since before she found me, from the moment my birth parents died and Katla took me as a stableboy, I never felt like I belonged. When ma adopted me, I finally felt like maybe I was finding my place in the world. But even then something was missing. You became an apprentice to dad, and you know I can’t work a hammer for crap. Ma and Rayya tried teaching me to fight but a sword in my hand is only dangerous to me. And everyone was doing what they could do and I was left behind. Everyone seemed so happy with what they do and I… I wanted to be happy too.” He licked his lips. “I used to sneak around and steal food from the farm. And, well, I liked it. I used to think I liked it because I was getting back at Katla for being mean to me but it turned out I liked the thrill of it too. That was always me. And mom understood that.”

Hroar was silent for the longest time. “And what about dad?” 

“Dad won’t find out.” 

“How’re you so sure? I found out.” 

“Dad won’t charge into the Cistern in the dead of the night to try and do something stupid.” 

The boy looked away and bit his lip. “Why didn’t you explain this to me earlier?”

“Because I knew you’d hate me.” Blaise said defeatedly.

Hroar swallowed loudly. “I don’t hate you.” He whispered with a trembling voice. “At least… I don’t think I do. I… I don’t know what to think.”

Blaise nodded. He didn’t know what to say to that but he understood. 

“What now?” Hroar asked after they sat in silence for a while. 

Blaise looked up at the stars. “I don’t know.” He was as lost as his brother at the moment. “Are you going to tell dad?”

Hroar shook his head. 

“Okay.” 

Silence fell around them again. Blaise felt like he was sitting at the edge of a bottomless pit, one wrong move could push him over and ruin the carefully crafted lie his mother and him had been weaving for so long. He was afraid to even breathe deeper than short shallow breaths in case it made Hroar change his mind and sent him running towards the manor to tell Balimund. 

His mind began spiralling, imagining the worst outcomes possible. If their father found out he’d disown him, there was no doubt about it. There was no scenario where it wouldn’t happen. But it could be worse. Then his mother would have to get involved, too. She’d have to either defend him or pretend to be on Balimund’s side and send him to live at the Cistern, only talk to him within the Guild. She’d have to split her life even more. He’d never see Rayya again. Or worse, his mother would choose him. She’d drop the lies too, and then everything, his whole life, Hroar’s whole life too, would be destroyed. She’d be free, she’d be able to be with Brynjolf without anything in their way. But their family was too big of a price to pay for that, she’d told him. 

For the first time in two years Blaise was realizing in what peril he’d put his family by becoming a thief. And the realization froze his insides like the lake’s waters on a winter day. 

“Remember...” Hroar’s small voice pulled him out of the terrors of his mind. “Remember when we promised each other to never have secrets between us?”

Blaise nodded. “It was during that storm. In Whiterun.” 

Hroar took a deep breath. “The thunder was so loud if felt like the sky was splitting in two. You told me stories to make me less afraid.” 

“I remember. They were complete nonsense.”

“It helped though.” Hroar said. “You’re a good storyteller. That was the day I knew you accepted me as a brother.”

Blaise frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I just...” Hroar shrugged. “I wasn’t sure about it when mom adopted me… You were already there and I thought that you wouldn’t think of me as, I don’t know, a serious thing? Because I was the new kid and, I was taught every day at the orphanage that nobody would really want me. So that night, when you let me crawl under the covers and didn’t sleep all night because of me, I finally understood that you were my big brother for real.”

Blaise felt like crying. Hroar rarely showed weakness, ever since they were kids. He was more withdrawn about his feelings, so hearing him talk about something so big touched the thief in so many ways. 

“I...” He started saying but the words got stuck in his throat. “I’ve always thought of you as my brother from the moment mom brought you into the house.”

Hroar nodded. “The reason I’m saying this is because despite that promise… We’ve both been keeping secrets.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I know.” The younger put his arms around his legs, making himself appear even smaller. “I’ve never told anyone about what happened to me at the orphanage.” 

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“It’s okay.” Hroar shook his head. “It’s been years now, it can’t hurt me anymore.” He stopped and took several deep breaths. “I became an orphan when I was four and there was no one in the world left to take care of me. So the Jarl sent me in the orphanage. The man who escorted me told me it wasn’t going to be bad, that there would be other children for me to play with, that one day someone who wanted me would show up and I wouldn’t be alone anymore. He was nice. Then we arrived and the woman who owned the place, Grelod the Kind they called her, welcomed me in with a big smile, promised the man I’d be well taken care of, sent him on his way and the moment the door was shut behind us she slapped me so hard I fell and hit my head on the floor.” Blaise’s body was going numb with horror. “She laid out the rules. We were not to raise our voices, run, laugh, play, talk back to her, complain, cry, make a mess, disobey her orders, ask about being adopted because no one in the world would want sorry snotty orphans like us. She told us she was being so good to take us in and we needed to repay her for it. We cleaned, cooked, tended to her needs, we did everything around the place and she’d still beat us even if we didn’t do anything wrong just to remind us of our place. And if we did do something wrong,” his voice wavered and he swallowed hard around it, “if we did something wrong, the beatings were brutal. I dropped a glass of water once. It spilt on the ground and wet the hem of her dress. My back was blue for a month.” Blaise’s throat had closed up and he felt tears push against his eyes. “And if something worse happened she’d lock us in the jail room. A small space with shackles nailed into the wall. Sometimes she’d keep a child in there for days with only some dirty water to sustain them. In the dark.”

“Hroar I-” The younger raised his hand to stop him and Blaise shut up.

“Then one of the kids, Aventus, ran away. And some time later Grelod wound up dead. I was awake the night the man walked into the orphanage. He saw me and gestured for me to be quiet and then… Then he killed her.” There were tears in Hroar’s eyes but he kept blinking them back. “Things changed after that, the girl who remained in charge was nice and allowed adoptions again. It turned out Grelod was sending people who wanted to adopt away. My best friend went first. The nicest looking family walked in, two mages and their girl, and they took one look at Sam and it was like magic how they just fit in. And I began dreaming of a family, too. Runa was next. The man who came looking for a child wore an ebony dagger around his waist. She saw it and she was instantly crazy for it. And that’s how her new father realized he didn’t have to choose a child, the child chose him. Everyone in the orphanage was then excited for the day their new parent would come in. Every person that stopped by was a hope for a future we were told we’d never have. When mom came, when she spoke to me, I didn’t know who she was or what she’d done. But she was kind and she spoke to everyone and I desperately wanted to her to pick me even though a part of me never thought it would be me. But then she did! And I finally had a family, I had you and then dad came along and it was more than anything I ever thought I’d have! I… I don’t want to lose that. And I’m willing to fight for it. Even if that means lying to dad about what I know.” 

Blaise sniffled and wiped his sleeve over his eyes a few times. He’d known Hroar had had it bad in the orphanage, he’d been witness to countless nightmares his brother suffered through the years, the quiet whimpers that Hroar thought no one could hear and the way he flinched when someone yelled. None of that prepared him for the whole truth and horror of what the younger had gone through. 

“I never meant to jeopardize our family.” He said quietly. “And I promise I won’t let this tear us apart.”

“I’m still mad at you.”

“I know.” 

\-------- 

They returned to Riften after that. They didn’t talk and Blaise knew Hroar was making a point to ignore him but he felt it in his gut that it would pass. He hadn’t lost his brother. 

“I’ll...” He began awkwardly when they reached the centre of the city. “I better go to the Cistern. Asbjorn doesn’t like having me in the house and I should probably explain the situation to them...”

Hroar looked down at his feet and kicked at a pebble. “Are you gonna come back?” 

“When it’s time to leave.” Blaise nodded. “You need to think things through on your own, I won’t get in the way.”

The boy bit his lip and gave a short nod which Blaise returned. He turned around and began walking away when Hroar called after him, making him turn around.

“Goodnight.” Hroar said and it made Blaise smile in relief. 

“Goodnight.” He replied and they parted.

**Author's Note:**

> First of all I wanna say I love my sister and she's my inspiration for Hroar and Blaise's relationship.   
> I didn't want to have Hroar be okay with it yet but I also wanted to end it on a hopeful note so here we are. And it was a good excuse to finally put Hroar's background on paper. I might add a second chapter to this and extend on Blaise's feelings on the matter. 
> 
> Runa was adopted by Nathaniel, aka Aliya's brother from the Dark Brotherhood. He's also the man who killed Grelod. Putting this out because it's a detail that probably won't come up but feels important to me. 
> 
> I hope you liked it! Next one will most likely be a short (hopefully funny) prequel that looks back at Aliya's origins.


End file.
